Archives for March 29, 2018

‘”I’ll probably be able to take a nap,” Mittelstadt said with a smile. “I have no problem doing that. I should be fine. Once the game gets closer, I’m sure I’ll get a little nervous, a little antsy to get out there and get going. But I think for the most part I should be fine. I feel good today. I feel like I belong. So I’m not too nervous.”‘

‘On Wednesday the league released the draft lottery odds for the 15 teams which do not qualify for the playoffs. The team with the worst record in the league has an 18.5 percent chance of winning the lottery for the right to the first pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, scheduled for June 22-23 in American Airlines Center in Dallas.’

‘“That’s probably the biggest part of it,” Mittelstadt said of being welcomed. “Obviously, you’re coming to a new team and they’ve been together all year. You’re kind of the new guy. So anytime they just kind of welcome you, it’s definitely a great feeling and they’ve done a great job with it.”’

‘“Well, that helps when you win a game and you get a day off and you come back and you feel a lot better about yourself, and especially the team that you beat, a really good team like Toronto,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said this afternoon inside KeyBank Center. “The guys are excited to have him as part of our team. A lot of them know him personally or skated with him in the summer and know what he brings to the table.”’

‘There was a lot of chatter and some extra jump to practice. Mittelstadt wasn’t at all intimidated by the scene, “It was exciting, I hadn’t played a game in a while, so it was nice to get out there and have some pace and have some fun, so it was definitely a good first practice.”’

‘During the skate, Mittelstadt worked on a line with Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues. He also practiced with the second power-play unit, alongside Rodrigues, Nick Baptiste, Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella/Brendan Guhle.’

‘”I just want to be here for him,” Eichel said. “I was in a similar situation a few years ago, Sam as well, with coming in at a pretty young age. But we have a lot in common. It was good. We were able to get to know each other a little bit yesterday. … I think that that’s important.”‘